Cardinals add Barkley, young QB must learn difficult offense

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Matt Barkley (2) throws a pass during the first half of a preseason NFL football game against the New York Jets Thursday, Sept. 3, 2015 in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Peter Morgan)

Peter Morgan

September 04, 2015

TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) The Arizona Cardinals didn't have to give up much to take a look at quarterback Matt Barkley to see if he might fit in the team's long-term plans.

A conditional seventh-round pick was all it took to acquire the former USC star from the Philadelphia Eagles on Friday.

For the Eagles to get the draft choice, Barkley must be on the Arizona roster for six games, according to a person familiar with the details of the deal. The person sought anonymity because those details were not publicly revealed by the teams.

Just what the trade means for Logan Thomas was unclear. Thomas, in his second NFL season, was competing with rookie Phillip Sims for the No. 3 quarterback job in Arizona. Sims said via a tweet on Friday that the Cardinals had released him.

Coach Bruce Arians said earlier Friday that the team's roster cuts would not be announced until Saturday.

Drew Stanton is entrenched as the backup to Carson Palmer and Barkley will face a challenge learning Arians' intricate offense.

When Palmer and Stanton both went down with knee injuries last season, Arians didn't feel the rookie Thomas was ready and brought in Ryan Lindley to start at quarterback. The Cardinals lost all three games Lindley started.

Sims, undrafted out of Winston-Salem State, was a rookie camp tryout who impressed Arians with his poise and quick grasp of the offense.

In his tweet linked to an Instagram posting, Sims thanked the Cardinals ''for giving me this great opportunity to pursue my dream of playing on the ultimate stage.''

---

AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL

You May Like

More NFL

Sign Up for our Newsletter

Don't get stuck on the sidelines! Sign up to get exclusives, daily highlights, analysis and more—delivered right to your inbox!